‘Cong may not support AAP on ordinance issue’

NEW DELHI: If the claims of party insiders are to be believed, Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab, who met the party leadership on Monday in separate meetings, have suggested their top brass not to support the Aam Aadmi Party on the Delhi services Ordinance issue.

However, party general secretary KC Venugopal has said that a decision will be announced in coming days.

Earlier in the day, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, along with former party chief Rahul Gandhi met party leaders from Delhi and Punjab separately over the issue of alliance with the AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and for supporting Kejriwal on the Centre’s ordinance issue. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also present during the meetings. The party insiders said that a majority of the leaders told the leadership to have no truck with Kejriwal, calling him a “B-team” of the BJP and claiming he harmed the Congress’ interests not only in

Delhi and Punjab, but other states as well.

Sources further claimed that the meeting comes in the wake of Kejriwal requesting a meeting with Kharge and Gandhi to seek their support against an Ordinance brought by the Centre, which effectively nullified a Supreme Court order that gave to the Delhi government the power to transfer bureaucrats in the city.

Mallikarjun Kharge has reportedly conveyed to Kejriwal he will take a call on the matter after having a word with state party leaders. The Congress leadership has decided to meet party leaders from other states before deciding its position. After the meeting, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring told reporters that they have put across their views before the party high command and left the final decision to it.

“All the leaders have said that the party high command will decide, and we have left it to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to take the final decision,” Raja Warring said.